It is a well-known fact that female business leaders are underrepresented in the corporate world. The gap between male and female entrepreneurs is significant even at the level of new startups. If you follow the buzz on VC funding, you know also about the disparity in funding given to females versus males.
Over the years, this glass ceiling is slowly being cracked with every women taking the brave step to start their own business. At the same time, more and more young girls are beginning to dream of becoming entrepreneurs. The determined few girls who are ready to take on the establishment keep pushing forward on their entrepreneurial dreams and aspiration, but for some girls, these dreams remain sadly unfulfilled.
This is why we must encourage our daughters to follow through with their ideas and aspirations of entrepreneurship and provide them with the opportunities and training so that they can flourish. Join Camp Millionaire and see how young women are investing in the stock market and excelling as brilliant young investors.
3 WAYS TO ENCOURAGE YOUR DAUGHTER TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR
1) Encourage her to start her own business now. She doesn’t need to wait until she heads to Business School to learn entrepreneurship skills or to build her own business venture. Encourage her to take on the startup challenge, even when she is as young as 9 years old. In fact, meet some of the girl bosses of our Young Entrepreneurs program.
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Avery & Edyn (both 9 years old) started their own business selling experiences in a jar. They expanded on this idea for an entire brand line serving multiple customer segments - Hanukkah in a Jar, Christmas in a Jar and Spa in a Jar. Their entrepreneurial spirit and creativity have earned them $507 in 2 hours.
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Elizabeth & Lauren, two young entrepreneurs in our "Start Your Own Bakery" startup challenge, worked fantastically with a team of 4 boys, to create a pop-up bakery called WELMAK. In 2 hours, they made $859, and raised $425 for Sick Kids. Both of them are now prepping to start their own cafe, where they will sell cakes baked by them. They are only 10 & 11.
2) Allow her to make her own decisions: Whether it be the world of business or just everyday life, decisions are what propels our lives forward. Becoming an entrepreneur would require your daughter to make important decisions all the time, and she must have the skills and confidence to make them as fast and accurate as she can be.
Most of all, she must be also able to stand behind her decisions. The fear of making the wrong choice can often create a situation where she is unable to make those choices.
Give her the space to exercise her own judgment, the courage to make decisions and the backbone to be honest with those she works with. These simple skills will empower her and have lifelong benefits as she develops into an entrepreneur.
3) Support her as she takes risks. Business is about taking risks. Sometimes the risks pay off and sometimes they don't. Either way, she will only learn to brush them off and keep moving if she has the support she needs to bring her back up.
As parents, we are prone to not encouraging our daughters to take risks. This is a folly. Remember that successful entrepreneurship and innovation involves taking risks. Just like many important, time-sensitive decisions, she should be encouraged to take risks and remain strong when facing risks.
Empowering your daughter to accomplish her goals is easy. Helping her achieve her potential is possible. We can equip the next generations of businesswomen with the right tools and knowledge, and give them guidance on their path to success.
A path that will forever change the business world that will thrive from its diversity and innovation, and focus on a brighter future for everyone.
If you are looking for more resources and programs to become a successful entrepreneur and girl boss, check out our entrepreneurship programs recently featured in BBC.
These programs include Young Entrepreneurs for Grades 4 - 6, Teen Entrepreneurs from Grades 7 - 12 and also Adult Entrepreneurs that encourage women to join other successful female entrepreneurs.